Tessa's Story
by accioswiftgames
Summary: Will and Tessa have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember, but will it end up as something else? An all-human AU based on "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" by Taylor Swift (a.k.a. the cutest song ever). It's basically Wessa fluff :3 DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES OR "MARY'S SONG (OH MY MY MY)" OR ANYTHING ELSE MENTIONED.
1. Seven and Nine

**Hello! If you've read my stories, you'll know that I usually put the A/N at the end of the story. But I'm just gonna say that this is based on the song "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" by Taylor Swift, and it is one of the cutest songs I've ever heard. If you've heard it, you'll roughly know what will happen in this fanfic.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

Tessa tripped on a small pebble and fell down, scraping her right knee in the process.

"Tessa?" a voice called out.

Tessa's lip involuntarily trembled. She didn't want to cry because of something stupid like a scrape on her knee, she wasn't a baby. She was already seven years old.

"Tessa? Are you even going to try to catch me? Or have you given up because you know that I'll always be better than you?" the voice yelled out once more.

Tessa bit her lip, knowing any reply would only unleash the brimming tears.

"Tess? Are you still there?" the voice asked again, this time with a tinge of worry.

Tessa took a deep breath. "I'm here, Will!"

She looked down at her bloody knee again as she heard the thump of light footsteps on the dirt. "Tessa? What are you doing on the- Oh, are you okay?"

He was kneeling next to her now, his big blue eyes full of concern.

Tessa managed a wobbly smile. "I just tripped," she replied shakily.

"Here, let me have a look at that."

He rushed to his backpack and took out a water bottle before going back to Tessa.

"This might hurt a bit," he said, poising the open water bottle above her bloody knee.

Tessa began breathing heavily. "Will, are you sure you know what you're- AHHH OWW!"

She looked up, trying to stop the tears from overflowing, unwilling to let her best friend see her cry. She would never hear the end of it if she did.

"I'm sorry, Tess. But look, it's clean now," Will said in a surprisingly gentle voice. Tessa looked down at him, and he didn't even tease her when a tear did fall down.

Instead, he reached out and flicked the tear away with his thumb. "Do you feel better?"

Tessa looked down at her knee, now clean of blood with only light pink striped of flesh across it. She nodded. Will took out a handkerchief from his pocket. Why a 9-year-old would have a handkerchief, Tessa would never know. But he dabbed around the wound to dry it from the mixture of water and blood.

Will stood up, offering his hand to Tessa. She smiled and took it, using it to help herself stand up.

* * *

Tessa sat down on the soft grass of her backyard, the smell of food wafting through the air. It was getting dark, the sky a beautiful in-between colour.

Will plopped down beside her, and she automatically rested her head on his shoulder. He was leaning back on his hands, watching the sky turn darker and darker.

Tessa watched as the vast sky turned a darker blue, the stars beginning to appear more clearly. It was just like Will's eyes; dark blue, almost violet. The stars were like the pretty lights hanging in her bedroom.

She heard a deep chuckle from behind her. She recognized the voice as her own father. "You know what? Those two are so close now. I bet they're gonna grow up and fall in..."

The rest of the sentence was drowned out by a sudden chilly gust of wind, causing Tessa to shiver. She felt Will's arm wrap around her, and the instantaneous warmth caused her to snuggle closer to Will. She loved these family barbecues when she could just sit with Will, because at school, they were 2 grades apart.

Tessa heard a bark of laughter, followed by Will's father saying, "You're right, Richard! Look at them."

Another round of laughter ensued, this time joined by higher pitched laughter. "Edmund!" said a voice she identified as Will's mother's.

"What, Linette? We were only joking," Mr. Herondale replied.

The adults continued talking, but Tessa began drifting off to sleep. It was hard not to, with Will's presence comforting her and the breathtaking view in front of her, it was just perfect.

* * *

Tessa quickly climbed the ladder into the treehouse, but she squealed when she took her first step. She had stepped on something, and there was a light snap. She removed her right foot and found a toy soldier underneath.

_Uh oh_, she thought, looking up.

Will looked to her, his blue eyes terrifying and his black hair falling into his eyes. "Tessa. Did you just _break_ my soldier?"

Tessa gulped. "Umm. Maybe?"

"By the Angel, are you serious?"

"I'm sorry, Will, it was an accident!"

Will got to his feet. "But it was my favorite toy soldier!"

"I'm sorry, Will, I didn't know it was there!"

His eyes suddenly turned cold, and he stepped forward. "I could beat you up, you know. I'm bigger than you."

Tessa took a step back, terrified for her life. "You wouldn't."

He took another step forward. "Who knows?"

"It's just a toy soldier, Will. _Please_," she begged, looking at the cold mask of his face.

Will stepped towards her, and Tessa stepped back.

Only to find that she had run out of ground and had stepped through the door, into thin air.

Before Tessa could even shriek, Will had grabbed onto the front of her shirt and pulled her back in. She stumbled in, Will catching her from falling.

She was breathing heavily, her mind spinning. They were somehow on the ground, Will kneeling in front of her and holding her up with his arms around her. He was rocking her back and forth, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over again.

"Are you still gonna beat me up?" Tessa asked, her voice still shaky.

"_Angel_, no," he said. "I would never beat you up, you know that."

"Seems like you were going to just now," Tessa said, pulling away.

"I'm sorry, I was just so mad. It was stupid. I almost _killed_ you, Tess." She felt his hold on her tighten.

"Well, I killed your toy soldier," Tessa mumbled, looking down at her hands.

"Losing a toy soldier is nothing compared to losing you," he said quietly.

Tessa looked up and smiled. "Wanna read a book?"

Will nodded and got up to their shelf of books. "Do you wanna try reading a classic?"

"Umm, I tried reading one, but I couldn't even understand the first sentence," Tessa admitted, blushing in embarrassment.

"It's fine. Let's just read Harry Potter, then."

"Okay."

Will sat leaning against the wall, his legs stretched out. Tessa, as usual, laid down with her head on his lap as he opened _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_, their favorite Harry Potter book.

Tessa looked up at Will as he began reading. He was her best friend, and yet- no. There was nothing more than that. They had been best friends for as long as she could remember, and she was more than happy with that. It was much better than the chance of losing him.

"_The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive..."_

* * *

"Let's play truth or dare," Will said one day, when the sun was excruciatingly hot and there was nowhere to go to except for the treehouse in Tessa's backyard. It wasn't like they could go anywhere anyways, their parents were out and they couldn't go anywhere outside of the block.

"But we already know everything about each other. There's no use in choosing truth," Tessa complained. The heat was really getting to her. She wiped sweat off of her forehead.

"Then we only choose dare. Let's play dare or dare."

Tessa rolled her eyes. She found herself doing that more and more often with Will. "That's stupid."

"You got any better ideas?"

There was a short pause.

"No," Tessa finally said, sighing as she sat up and scooted closer to Will.

"I'll start," he declared. "I choose... _dare_."

Tessa rolled her eyes once more, unable to help herself. But as sighed, an idea came to her mind. She glanced up at him. "I dare you to... dance like a ballerina for 20 seconds!"

"What? No!"

Tessa giggled. "This game was your idea."

Will huffed and slowly got up. "You are such a horrible person."

With the biggest scowl on his face, Will raised his arms in a crooked arc and began spinning around.

"Don't forget to tiptoe, Will!"

He glared at her, but did as he was told. Tessa was bursting with laughter, clutching her stomach as she watched Will spin around grumpily.

"20 seconds! Done!" he said, dropping down to his knees. "Good thing you don't have a phone yet. Or I'm sure you would've recorded that and haunted me with the video for the rest of my life."

Tessa's laughter faded away, and she wiped a tear away. "That was the best. dare. _ever_."

"Not for me," Will mumbled. "Anyways, it's your turn now. What will you choose? Dare? Or... _dare_?"

"Hmmm... I believe I will choose dare," Tessa said, deciding to play along with it.

Will smiled, a glint in his eyes. "I dare you to lick the floor," he said without hesitation.

"W- what?"

"Lick. The floor."

"That's gross! Why would you-"

"Tessaa," he called in a singsong voice, gesturing to the wooden floor of the treehouse.

Tessa leaned forward and scrunched her eyes closed.

_1._

"Come on, Tess."

_2._

She took a deep breath.

_3._

Tessa stuck her tongue out and pulled her head back as soon as she felt it touch the ground.

She opened her eyes to Will laughing hysterically. She looked around for tissues, but just ended up wiping her tongue on her shirt when she found none.

"You should've- your face! It was priceless," he managed to say in between laughs. Tessa scowled at him, until an idea popped into her head.

She began to smile. "Well, my next dare is that you kiss me."

Will stopped short. "What?"

"I dare you to kiss me," Tessa repeated without hesitation.

He gulped, looking legitimately scared. "W- Why are you coming up with the worst dares?"

"Worst? You made me _lick_ the _floor_."

Will considered this. "I suppose that is worse."

"Duh. I mean, kissing me isn't that bad, is it?" she asked. "Unless... you really think I'm disgusting," she added quietly, thinking he didn't hear.

But he did. "What? No, you're not disgusting. Never. Here, I'll prove it."

Will slowly leaned forward towards Tessa. He closed his eyes. Tessa watched as his lips were only an inch from hers now. Will closed the distance.

And he fell forward.

Tessa had run away, laughing as Will's lips met empty air. "Hah! Tricked you!" she said triumphantly, dancing around.

Will shook his head. Before Tessa knew anything was happening, he had tackled her to the ground and began tickling her.

"Will... Stop! Please... Stop, Will," she gasped out in between giggles.

He finally stopped and leaned back on his hands. "Well, that's what you get for tricking me."

Tessa scrambled up into a sitting position, looking at Will.

She hadn't meant to trick Will, but she had gotten cold feet at the last moment. He had been so repulsed when she first brought up the dare, and for the first time, she felt... conscious of herself. Of how she looked, how she acted.

Tessa put on a smile. "Yeah."

* * *

**Hello! Yes, it's been some time since my last story. But I've been _so_ busy with IGCSEs and whatnot. Plus, I'm going to theatre camp again yay!**

**So before I go on a 1-month hiatus, here is a short multi-chapter AU inspired and based on the song "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" by Taylor Swift. I was listening to this and a Wessa AU popped into my mind so here it is! It will probably have less than 10 chapters, and each chapter would roughly be 1000 words, more or less.**

**I'm going to try to update as often as I can this week before I leave, but no promises on more than 1 update per day :) Anyways, I hope you liked it!**

**Please follow, favorite, and/or review! I would love it if you did 3**


	2. Sixteen

Being sixteen years old wasn't what Tessa had expected. Granted, it was only what her 7-year-old self had expected, and when she had entered middle school, all those expectations had vanished.

She was glad to be in high school, though. Contrary to popular belief, bullying was the worst in middle school, when everyone had been trying to make an impression in those fleeting years. In high school, everyone was just too busy. Either that, or they had already taken a spot in the school hierarchy that they were content with.

Now, in high school, Tessa was one of those people who fell into both categories. She didn't really care much about the school hierarchy, and was perfectly content with not being 'popular'. She was also _really_ busy. Tessa was a perfectionist, a trait that was both an advantage and a disadvantage. On one hand, she had excellent grades. On the other, she rarely had time to leisure around.

Tessa closed her locker door to find Will waiting for her, leaning on the locker next to hers.

Through all those changes, the one constant thing was Will. They had remained best friends throughout all the years, even with their 2-year age gap.

At first, girls had bullied her for being so close to Will. She never understood why they did that. In the face of a world where equality was being fought for, why were these girls turning on themselves? However, upon realizing Will and Tessa's platonic relationship, the bullying had ceased, but Tessa had often ended up as a thirdwheel.

Such as in that very moment.

Tessa had begun walking home with Will at her side, when she realized she was now walking alone. She looked around and found him against a locker, his face stuck to another girl's. They hadn't even managed to get outside the school.

Tessa rolled her eyes at him —an old habit that she never got out of— and walked out. It wasn't rare that she ended up going home alone.

Tessa remembered that on one particular occasion, Tessa had entered the car, only to find another girl inside. Without another word, Tessa had closed the door and walked home. Will had asked the girl to leave once he saw Tessa walking away, and he drove up to her, apologizing and coaxing her to enter the car.

"Just... give me a heads up next time, okay? That was just way too awkward," Tessa had said.

She had never been angry or anything, she was quite used to feeling unwanted. She just wanted to avoid any awkwardness. Or anymore bullying from the girls.

"Tessa!" Will shouted from behind her now.

Tessa waved a hand without turning around. A moment later, the slapping sound of feet on the pavement became louder.

"Sorry," he said, breathless as he caught up with her. "I got caught up."

"Hmm."

A pause.

"Are you mad at me?"

Tessa sighed. "For the last time, Will, no. I'm not mad at you for having a life."

He grinned. "Unlike you?"

"Yeah. I don't need a reminder," Tessa muttered, sounding more bitter than she had intended.

"Whoa," Will said, stepping in front of her. "Hold up. You really are mad."

Tessa took a deep breath. "I'm just tired, Will. It's been a long day," she replied, side-stepping him and walking past.

He caught up with her again. "Do you wanna go to up to the treehouse? You know, loosen up a bit."

"I have a lot of stuff to do."

Will pouted. "Please? We haven't hung out there in forever."

Tessa relented and smiled. "Fine," she said, looking up at him. He smiled back and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

Tessa gulped. The truth was, she _did_ mind when Will made out with other girls in front of her. It only reminded her of the fact that she was right there, yet he never truly acknowledged her as someone who could possibly be jealous.

They walked all the way home like that, Tessa leaning on him as he held her tightly.

* * *

"What about... A Tale of Two Cities?" Will asked, observing the book spines on the shelf. Tessa was by the door of the treehouse, pulling up a tray of snacks using the pulley.

"Is that even a question?" Tessa called out as the mini wooden elevator arrived by the door. That was literally her favorite classic, and Will knew it.

Tessa tied the rope to a hook by the door and slid the tray out. She walked back in and laid the tray of drinks and snacks on the floor. Will walked towards her and grabbed a bag of chips, along with a cup of orange juice. Tessa took a cup of lemonade and sat down in the cushioned spot where they always read their books.

The two of them leaned against the wall and Will opened the book. Tessa opened the bag of chips and began munching on them as Will began reading. They took occasional breaks whenever Will got hungry or thirsty, in which Tessa would either feed him chips or bring the cup to his mouth to prevent his fingers from getting dirty, as that would just ruin the book.

Tessa tried to suppress a smile as she saw a crumb on the corner of Will's mouth.

"What? Are you just admiring my flawless face?"

"On the contrary, it seems like your face isn't all that flawless," Tessa said, laughing.

Will looked confused for a moment before Tessa pointed to the corner of his mouth. "You've got a little something there," she said as she reached up to wipe it off.

* * *

Tessa reached up towards his face and wiped the crumb off, her skin soft on the corner of his mouth. He had the urge to take her hand and kiss it.

_Wait. What?_

Will suddenly became hyperaware of her. It had been happening more and more often lately. He had begun noticing the wondrous colour of her blue-grey eyes, the way they lit up whenever she was doing something she was passionate about. He had begun noticing the way strands of her hair would fall into her face whenever she tied it back.

It had never been like that before. She had always been Tessa, the little girl he took care of. But it seemed like she was gone.

Without thinking, Will reached up and put his hand over Tessa's.

* * *

Will caught Tessa's hand as she was wiping the crumb off, the two of them looking straight into each other's eyes. Will's eyes reminded her of the night sky she saw all those years ago, the exact same colour. This time, though, she realised that the sparkle in his eyes were also like the stars that had shined that night, like the pretty lights she still had in her bedroom.

But his gaze in that moment was completely different from what she remembered. There was a shift from adoration, to both that and longing. His eyes flicked down, and she saw that they had both moved closer, and Will's hand was still holding her hand in place, on his jaw.

Tessa's eyes fluttered closed, and their lips finally met.

It was everything she imagined her first kiss to be, and yet completely different. Will's lips were soft on hers as his hands went up to cup her face, dropping the book with a thud. He was being gentle, much more gentle than she had ever seen him with other girls.

They both pulled away. Tessa's eyes slowly opened to find his startling blue ones already staring back. She was dazed for a moment, until Will's voice snapped her out.

"Tess-"

Tessa felt a sudden horror. "I- I don't know how that happened," she said, reality beginning to crash down around her. Did she just kiss her best friend?

"Tessa-"

"I'm sorry, I don't- I have no idea-"

"Tessa!" he exclaimed. "It's okay," he said. Then he looked down. "Unless, _you_ think it's not?"

Tessa opened her mouth, unable to face the awkwardness of the situation. "Actually, I-" She cleared her throat. "That was my first kiss."

Will's eyes widened. "Oh. _Oh_," he said. "I'm so sorry, Tess. I didn't mean to ruin it for y-"

"_Ruin_ it?" Tessa asked, incredulous. "You didn't ruin it, Will. It was perfect. It was just perfect."

* * *

**Hello! Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows and the favorites!**

**I was going to update this yesterday, but as I said, my wifi provider had blocked this website, and even though it's _supposed_ to be cleared up, it still gets blocked sometimes. It was blocked for hours yesterday, hence I couldn't update.**

**Anyways, I'm a quarter way through the next chapter! I'll hopefully update again tonight. (This is seriously a record for me. It usually takes me _at least_ a week to update. Whoops.)**

**Don't forget to tell me what you think about this chapter through the reviews! Also follow and favorite :)**

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	3. Next to Me

Tessa glanced up from the mirror to look at her mother, who was completely immersed in curling Tessa's hair. Tessa loved these moments with only her mother, when she was helping her with "girly" things.

Tessa looked back down at herself. She had only learned how to apply make-up through youtube tutorials and other websites, but she was quite pleased with the result.

Her mother stood up and took a step back, admiring her work. Tessa's hair was half-up half-down, allowing for Tessa's face to be seen in a clearer light.

"Will won't be able to take his eyes off of you," she cooed, her eyes shining.

Tessa loved her mother, but she hated any boy talk. "Mom, please no."

"I'm just saying," she shrugged, still smiling proudly. "Anyways, you should change into your dress, The Herondales should be here soon."

Tessa walked over to her bed, where a peach pink dress laid on the bed. It was long, strapless, and simple, with a flowing skirt of layered chiffon. Tessa and her mother had picked it out together when they went for a mother-daughter "bonding time", as her mother had put it.

Tessa quickly put it on in the bathroom and her mother zipped it up. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a different person. A much prettier, more graceful person.

Tessa smiled, and her mother's eyes shined.

Tessa descended the stairs slowly, praying she wouldn't fall and make an embarrassment of herself. Her eyes immediately found Will leaning against the wall by the stairs, his eyes on his phone. As he heard the clacking of her heels on the stairs, however, he looked up.

Tessa got to the bottom of the stairs without a hitch, thankfully. Will looked at her, a look of awe on his face. "Whoa, Tess. You look beautiful."

She couldn't help blushing. "Not bad yourself, Herondale."

_Snap_! There was a bright flash of white light and a click. She turned to look, blinking away the afterimages of the light.

Both her parents and Will's parents were standing there, smiling at them with the most sappy looks imaginable. Tessa's father, besides looking sappy, was holding up a camera.

Tessa felt her cheeks burning even more. "Dad!"

"What did I say, Edmund?" he asked, completely ignoring Tessa's glare. "I told you they would grow up and fall in love!"

"_Dad_!"

Edmund kept his eyes on the pair. "But you didn't really think it would happen, did you? You were only joking!"

"Father!" Will exclaimed this time. Tessa looked at him to find that he was as flustered and embarrassed as she was.

"That's true," Tessa's father admitted.

Tessa's mother smiled, while Will's mother rolled her eyes at the two men. "Oh, just let them go, Edmund. They'll be late for the prom."

"Thank you, Mam," Will said, before offering his arm to Tessa. She personally felt uncomfortable with Will in front of their parents for the sole reason of the looks on their faces.

* * *

They danced for most of the night, just the two of them. Her head on his shoulder and his hands on her waist during slow songs, their hands linked together and their hips moving during pumped up songs.

"Let's get out of here," Will suddenly said to her as they were taking a break and drinking punch.

"I don't want to go home yet," Tessa said sheepishly.

"I never said anything about going home," Will replied with a wink.

Before Tessa could ask him anything else, he had taken her by the hand and led her out of the building and into the cool night air. Tessa crossed her arms, shivering slightly.

"Here," Will said, shrugging off his tuxedo jacket and placing it around Tessa's shoulders.

"Thanks," she said. "So, where are we going?"

He winked. "Anywhere."

* * *

They were in his car, driving through the empty streets towards the countryside. They were playing loud pop music, singing along off-tune and laughing. Both windows in the car were rolled down, allowing the wind to whip in. Tessa's hair had mostly come undone at that point, her perfectly curled hair becoming frizzier as it whipped across her face.

They finally managed to get themselves in the middle of nowhere. Will had driven off the main road, and they were now surrounded by an overgrown field. They got out of the car, and Will hopped on top of the hood of his car. Seeing that Tessa had trouble doing so with her long dress, he went down to help her up before lying down next to her.

"Look at the sky, Will," Tessa whispered.

"I know. It's beautiful. Kinda like you," he said.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "That was a bit too cheesy, don't you think?"

"But it's true."

"It just went up on the cheese-o-meter."

"_Cheese-o-meter_? Did you actually just say that?"

Tessa turned her head to look at him. "Yes. I did."

He shook his head. "Sometimes, you come up with the most beautiful expressions, and other times, you come up with 'cheese-o-meter'."

Tessa nudged him with her shoulder. "At least I don't say cheesy cliché lines."

Will finally turned to look at Tessa as well, smiling. "But in all honesty, you look beautiful tonight."

Tessa laughed. "Even now? With this beehive hair?"

He kissed her nose. "You always were, and always will be."

Tessa decided not to call him out on the cheesiness this time, just because the moment was much too perfect to disturb.

They leaned in closer and closer, until their lips finally met. It started off soft and gentle, much like the moment they were in. But their kiss deepened, and soon they were pressed against each other with practically no space between them. Her hands were in his hair, and his hands were flat against her back.

Will kissed Tessa right on the jaw, and trailed more kisses up to the corner of her mouth. Tessa, being impatient, kissed him on the lips again.

A phone rang, cutting through the silence.

Tessa and Will pulled apart, gasping for air.

"I think," Tessa gulped, "that's my phone."

"And from the sound of it, it seems like it's your mom calling." Tessa had set a special ringtone for both her parents, so she knew if they were calling.

Tessa sighed and moved to get off the hood of the car. Will jumped down and helped her, holding her by the waist and basically lifting her off the car.

Tessa took her clutch from the passenger seat and took out her phone. It had stopped ringing.

"_By the Angel_," Tessa gasped. "It's almost 2 am, Will! My parents are going to kill me," she said, closing her eyes.

Will got into the car and started the engine as Tessa put the seatbelt on. "It's okay, if they know you're still with me, they probably won't be that mad. I mean, they love me," Will said, trying to lighten the mood.

"But if they think we did anything, you should prepare a bulletproof vest."

Will began driving back through the way that they came.

* * *

"Okay. I better go inside for my interrogation session," Tessa said, shifting her feet as she stood in front of the door to her house.

"Alright. See you tomorrow," Will said; giving her a quick peck on the cheek. He finally turned away, letting go of Tessa's hand. They only lived a few houses away from each other, so he had parked the car at his house and walked her home first.

"Love you!" he yelled as he walked away, grinning as he knew that her parents had probably heard that.

"Love you, too," Tessa mouthed before walking in.

* * *

**Hello! I know I promised an update yesterday, but I was out all day and I didn't have a chance to do so. I'm leaving for camp tomorrow, and I'm very doubtful that I'll be able to finish this story before that. I'll be phone-free for the next week too, so np updates until the week after.**

**I hope you liked this chapter! Prepare for some angst next MUAHAHAHAH **

**Anyways, please follow, favorite, and/or review! Thank you 3**


	4. The Slamming of Doors

Tessa knew that having a long-distance relationship would be difficult, but she had no idea it would be _this_ difficult.

Will had graduated, leaving Tessa in high school. It had been a blissful few months when both of them had gone to the same school, but after Will had graduated, maintaining their relationship had become more and more challenging.

Will had gone to a very good university, Oxford, to be exact, but it was far from their hometown. He could only visit during long weekends and school breaks. Besides that, they would usually Skype or Facetime, often Snapchatting the most trivial things.

However, Tessa had never felt secure about it. Will was attractive. _Very_ attractive. He was going to a new place with a lot of new people. A lot of new girls too. A lot of _attractive_ girls.

She knew it was silly, being jealous like that. It was cruel too because it meant she didn't trust Will. She tried to ignore it, but it was difficult not to be insecure. He wasn't named the 'school player' for nothing in high school.

"Earth to Tessa?" Will's voice came through.

Tessa looked up and smiled at him. "Hmm?"

"I was asking if you wanted to go out for dinner," Will said, searching her eyes.

"Of course. Let's go," she said, smiling at him.

They were sitting in their treehouse, sitting against one wall and leaning against each other. Will was fiddling with their interlocked hands.

"Are you alright, Tess?"

"Why'd you ask?"

"You seem... distant," he finally said.

She smiled. "Just thinking about stuff, I guess." Tessa stood up and dusted herself off. "Let's go for dinner," she said, reaching out a hand.

* * *

Tessa and Will finished up their meal at their favorite café, and it was almost like Will had never left. They caught up with what was going on in each other's lives, and by the end of the dinner, it felt like any of their usual dates before Will had left.

Will paid for dinner, and they got up from their table. As they walked towards the exit, a girl that seemed to be about Will's age walked into the restaurant. She was pretty, with silky blonde hair and big dark brown eyes.

"Will!" she exclaimed.

Will looked uncomfortable. "Hey, Miranda."

Miranda leaned into him, completely oblivious to Tessa's presence. Tessa could feel her heart racing, all her previous worries rising once again in her mind.

Will cleared his throat. "Umm, this is my girlfriend, Tessa."

Miranda quirked an eyebrow and laid a hand on Will's shoulder before turning to look at Tessa. "You never told me you had a girlfriend," she said coldly.

Tessa felt her eyes burning. Will's face was unreadable to her, but he seemed to have paled.

"Anyways," Miranda said, "I've gotta go. See you on campus, Will!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and flounced away.

Will opened his mouth to say something, but Tessa turned away and walked out the door. The cold wind met her with full force, but she trudged on.

"Tessa!" she heard Will call from behind her. It was a déjà vu. Tessa walking home alone, leaving Will behind as he was 'occupied'. Then he would call after her and run to catch up.

Only this time, he wasn't supposed to be 'occupied' with another girl besides Tessa.

"Tessa, wait!"

Tessa walked faster, determined not to let him catch up and see the tears streaking her face.

"Tess, I can explain-"

"Explain what, Will?" she yelled out, whirling around to face him. "That you're ashamed to have me as a girlfriend?"

"Tess, it's not like tha-"

"Save it, Will." Tessa continued to speed walk to her house, which wasn't too far from the café.

"Tessa, please," Will pleaded, easily catching up with her.

Tessa stopped abruptly.

"Tess-"

"I know that there are hundreds, no, thousands of girls much more attractive than me in Oxford. But I love you, Will. And I thought you loved me too! I guess I'm just not good enough for you to resist temptations."

Tessa turned around and walked towards her house, which she could already see.

"Tessa, it's nothing like that-"

"Just stop, Will!" Tessa yelled.

She ran up the front porch steps to her house and unlocked the front door. Will was right behind her, and she felt him touch her shoulder lightly. Tessa jerked away and walked into her house, slamming the door in Will's face.

She ran up to her room and locked the door before sinking to the floor. Tessa hugged her legs and rocked back and forth, the tears flowing more freely now.

Will and Tessa had never fought. Ever. This was their very first fight, and it had ended impossibly bad. She should have broken up with him on the spot. But she couldn't. Tessa couldn't bring herself to break up with him yet. She would do it the next morning, she decided.

The night had ended in a different parallel to the usual date night. Instead of walking Tessa home, he had followed her home as she had pushed him away. Instead of kissing her goodnight on the porch, she had slammed the door in his face.

Tessa changed into her sleeping attire and crawled into bed, burying her head in the pillow as she cried. Her thoughts of paranoia had come true. They haunted her as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Tessa woke up early for a Sunday morning. It was only 7.30, yet she was wide awake. Memories of the previous night came rushing back to her, bringing her back to reality like a rainy cloud covering the bright sunshine.

Tessa grimly got out of bed, not eager to face the day. She knew what she had to do, and she feared that the break up would break her, too.

She had a long shower and by the time she got out, it was already 8. Tessa went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a banana before walking out. Her parents were nowhere to be seen, probably still sleeping.

She opened the door and was met by a familiar blue-eyed boy.

"Will," she breathed out. She hadn't expected him to be at her door this early in the morning.

He was looking at her with large blue eyes. "Tessa-"

"Will, we have to talk." She closed the door behind her.

Tessa noticed his outfit for the first time. It was the exact same as the previous night, but wrinkled. There were eyebags under his eyes and his hair was even messier than usual.

"Will... you're wearing the same thing as last night," Tessa said.

Will shrugged. "I didn't bring extra clothes."

"Extra clothes?" Tessa asked, thoroughly confused. She looked around, finally noticing Will's jacket on the floor by the wall.

"I may have stayed here," Will finally said.

Tessa looked at him. "You stayed out _here_? All night?"

Will nodded slowly. "I had to explain to you about what happened last night."

Tessa sighed, her stomach sinking. He wasn't making this any easier for her.

"Let's sit," Tessa said, moving to sit on the porch steps. He sat down first and Tessa sat down next to him, making sure there was some distance between them.

"Will-"

"Tess, please let me explain first."

Tessa took a deep breath. "Okay."

"I know what it seemed like last night," he began. Tessa snorted. "But it's nothing like that. That girl, Miranda, we take a few classes together, but _that's_ _it_. The _only_ reason I know her name is because we take more than one class together. Of course I didn't tell her I had a girlfriend."

Tessa's heart contracted, but she waited for Will to keep going. "I never told her anything about myself. She flirts with me, but the only things I've said to her are 'hey' and 'see you later', besides nodding along to whatever else she says.

"All my friends know who you are, Tess. Miranda wasn't even a friend. I love you, Tessa. I would never ever cheat on you," he finished.

Tessa felt a wave of relief wash over her, overjoyed to hear his explanation. She threw her arms around Will, closing whatever space was between them he held onto him tightly, breathing heavily as her worries dissipated.

But there was something else tugging at her heart.

Will pulled away first, his smile fading. "But Tess, why would you think I cheated on you? Do you not have faith in me at all?"

There it was. The thing tugging at her heart. Guilt. "I- I'm sorry, Will. It's not that I don't have faith in you, it's that I don't have faith in myself."

Will scooted over to Tessa and put an arm around her. "Oh, Tess. Why? Don't you realise what you mean to me? I don't care how conventionally attractive all those other girls are. _You_ are the one for me, Tess. And there is no one else like you."

Tessa put her head on his shoulder, tears involuntarily dripping onto his shirt. Will held onto her tightly, both of his arms wrapped around Tessa. He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry, Will."

"Shhh."

Tessa sniffed and sat up, looking at Will. He reached up and wiped her tears away. Tessa put her hand over his, keeping it on her face, and she closed her eyes.

There was a short pause, until Tessa suddenly laughed, her eyes opening.

"What?" Will asked, his eyes wide in bewilderment.

"You stayed here _all_ _night_. I still can't believe you did that," she said with awe.

"Anything for you, Tess. You know that."

Tessa smiled. "I know."

* * *

**Hello! I hope you liked this chapter. So I'm leaving for the airport in a few hours, which means my next update will either be Monday next week or next month! (That's a huge gap, I know). Whatever happens though, I will NOT abandon this story.**

**If you've listened to the song, then you'll know what the next chapter is. Here's a hint: it's pretty dang cute.**

**I would love follows, favorites, and/or reviews! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Infernal Devices or any of its characters, nor do I own "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" or anything else mentioned. This applies to all chapters of this story. (Yes, I forgot the disclaimer in previous chapters).**


	5. Favorite Spot in Town

A few years had gone and come around for Tessa and Will, and they had both ended up content with their lives. Will inherited his father's business, while Tessa became a writer.

"Hey, Tess," Will said, looking up from his laptop.

"Hmm?"

Tessa was writing vigorously in her tiny notebook, but she looked up at him, smiling.

"Let's take a break. You know, walk to the beach or... something," Will said slowly.

Tessa couldn't help but notice that he seemed slightly off, but she decided that a walk might fix it.

They climbed down the ladder of the treehouse. Throughout the years, they had insisted that the treehouse was maintained and kept from falling apart for the sole reason that they still went up there frequently, even as adults.

Tessa and Will walked hand-in-hand down the road towards the beach, their favorite spot in town. The sunlight was warm, but not too hot that it made her skin prickle. There was a feather-light breeze and the air was crisp. The sky was a diluted blue, with fluffy white clouds mindlessly floating here and there.

"Do you remember when we were sitting by the water and a duck wobbled up to us?" Tessa suddenly asked.

Will's face immediately darkened. "Those bloodthirsty little beasts. They were about to attack us! Good thing I was there to save you, right Tess?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Oh, my knight in shining armour," she said monotonously.

"You know what else I remember from when we were sitting on the beach?" Will asked. "The first time I saw you as more than a little girl."

"Be careful how you phrase your words, Will. That sentence was vaguely pedophilic and almost creepy," Tessa said.

Will snorted. "Sorry, Miss I'm-a-writer-and-my-English-is-superior. I was just trying to sound romantic."

Tessa smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder. She couldn't pinpoint exactly when she fell for Will herselfz "Well, I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun," Tessa finally said.

"See? Those aren't even your own words! It's hard not to sound slightly creepy or immensely cheesy when you're expressing your romantic notions," Will retorted.

The beach was in sight now. Tessa could hear the waves crashing down on the beach; smell the saltiness of the sea. She stood up straight and ran towards it, dragging Will with her. Tessa squealed as she felt the sand seep in between her toes. She took off her sandals and picked them up.

She ran toward the water, kicking up sand in the process. The cool water splashed up at her as she ran into it. Tessa closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the sea. A pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her, and she opened her eyes in surprise. She felt light kisses on her neck, trailing up to her cheek.

Will whirled her around to face him and their lips met. Tessa's arms went up and linked behind his neck. She felt Will's arms tighten against the small of her back.

She suddenly felt a shock of cold water against her thighs and gasped as she pulled away. It was a bigger wave, and even though the water had only been ankle-deep, it now reached her thighs, making her shorts wet. Will, who was wearing jeans, was soaked too. Tessa saw he had the most adorable scowl on his face.

Tessa laughed, throwing her head back. Will took her hand and they walked back towards the beach. They sat down quite a distance away from the water's edge. Tessa leaned back on her hands, watching the water lapping up the sand, before being sucked back in, bringing a layer of the gritty sand with it.

"Tess," Will said. She turned her head to find him looking at her with an odd look.

"What's wrong, Will?"

"N-Nothing."

"Okay. You just stuttered. Something is _definitely_ wrong," Tessa said.

Will looked down for a moment, taking deep breaths. He abruptly stood up, pulling her up with him.

"Theresa Gray,-"

"Will?" Tessa cut him off. He rarely used her full name. "Are you alright?"

Will laughed. "Always so curious. Just let me finish first."

He cleared his throat. "Theresa Gray, we've known each other for as long as I can remember. You were, and still are, my best friend. We've been through so much together, and yet here we are, still together. I have loved you for a long time now, and I will love you for the rest of time."

Will got down on one knee and dug into his pocket. Tessa heard the blood pounding in her ears. She put a hand to her mouth, tears threatening to spill over. He took out a tiny red velvet box and opened it. A simple silver ring with a diamond embedded sat in the plush cushion of the box.

"Theresa Gray, my Tessa, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

She watched as the wind messed up Will's hair. His eyes were dark blue and shining, looking up at her with an overwhelming amount of hope and love.

Tessa took her hand away from her mouth, nodding. "Yes. _Yes_."

She gave her hand to him and he slipped the ring into her ring finger. Tessa pulled him into a hug, letting the tears flow freely. They held onto each other tightly, half-laughing, half-crying.

* * *

**Hello! I know this chapter is super short and very overdue, but I've just finished camp so it's the best I can do right now! I'm still on vacation so I can't promise anything for the next update.**

**Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! I LOVE WEDDING PROPOSALS. yeah. **

**Thank you for reading this and for bearing with my poor updating schedule. Please review, favorite, and/or follow! **


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